Happy 86th Birthday Mickey Mouse: 10 Facts About World's Most Famous Disney Cartoon Happy 86th Birthday Mickey Mouse: 10 Facts About World's Most Famous Disney Cartoon November 18, 2014 00:00 GMT Mickey Mouse was created by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks at the Walt Disney Studios in 1928Getty Mickey Mouse, the official mascot of The Walt Disney Company, turns 86 today. One of the most recognisable cartoons in the world, Mickey Mouse made his debut in the short film Steamboat Willie on 18 November 1928, one of the first sound cartoons. Since then, he has appeared in over 130 films, including Brave Little Tailor in 1938 and Fantasia in 1940. In celebration of the birthday of Mickey Mouse, IBTimes UK looks at interesting facts about the cartoon character: Mickey Mouse in Steamboat Willie in 1928Wiki Commons Ten of Mickey's cartoons have been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film, one of which, Lend a Paw, won the award in 1942.

From his humble origins, Mickey became the first cartoon character to have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1978. Mickey Mouse was actually created as a replacement for Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, an earlier cartoon created by Disney for Charles Mintz - an American film producer. In the spring of 1928, Walt Disney got inspiration for Mickey Mouse from a tame mouse at his desk at Laugh-O-Gram Studio in Kansas City. Mickey's star on the Hollywood Walk of FameWiki Commons Micker only has three fingers and a thumb on each hand, which according to Disney, was a financial and an artistic decision. "Artistically five digits are too many for a mouse. His hand would look like a bunch of bananas," Disney stated. "Financially, not having an extra finger in each of the 45,000 drawings that make up a six-and-one-half minute short has saved the studio millions." In 215, Hugh Harman, who later founded Warner Bros. and Metro Goldwyn-Mayer with Rudolf "Rudy" Ising, had sketched mice around a photograph of Walt Disney, which inspired artist UB Iwerks to create a mouse character.

Mickey with Minnie Mouse in Building a Building, 1933Wiki Commons The first words Mickey ever spoke in a cartoon were: "hot dogs!" Animator UB Iwerks designed Mickey's body out of circles in order to make the character simple to animate, which has become one of the character's trademarks. His design is most apparent in his ears, which in traditional animation, always appear circular no matter which way the character faces. Disney characters Mickey Mouse and Minnie MouseReuters Mickey was originally characterised as a mischievous anti-hero, but was rebranded as an "everyman" - a well-intentioned character with flaws. Disney began to alter the character once again in 2009, with the video game Epic Mickey, emphasising the adventurous side to the mouse. Walt Disney originally wanted to call Mickey "Mortimer Mouse" - until his wife Lillian said she felt Mortimer sounded too pretentious. Mickey in Fantasia, released in 1940Wiki Commons The character first appeared in colour in Parade of the Award Nominees in 1932. The film was never released to the public, having been created for the 5th Academy Awards.

Officially, Mickey's first colour film was The Band Concert, released in 1935. Mickey's first feature film was Fantasia in 1940, as the Sorcerer's Apprentice. It introduced stereophonic sound to motion pictures through a sound system called Fantasound, known today as surround sound. Related Mickey Mouse | GoAnimate V2 Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia NeoSpeech VW Paul His actual appearance. Mickey Mouse is an extremely famous cartoon mouse, whom was created by Walt Disney. He is the world's most famous Disney character. He made his debut in the short film Steamboat Willie in 1928. Mickey Mouse has also been the mascot for The Walt Disney Company since his debut. About Mickey Mouse (1928) Mickey Mouse (1928) This page has been viewed 258 times this month, and 13124 times total.

Traditional Animation Walt Disney Studios Voiced By: Walt Disney (1928-1947), Jim Macdonald (1947-1960's), Les Perkins (1980's), Wayne Allwine (Late 1980's-2009), Bret Iwan (2009-). First Directed By Walt Disney. First Appeared on November 18, 1928 . See the Full Cast & Crew... A Brief History Of This Cartoon Character: Mickey Mouse made his screen debut on November 18, 1928, as star of the first synchronized sound cartoon, Steamboat Willie, at the Colony Theatre in New York. Walt Disney created Mickey early in 1928 as Disney was returning from a meeting at which his cartoon... ( more ) More Cartoon Pictures... Cartoon Video: Sorry, we do not have a video of Mickey Mouse. If you have one, or know of one on Youtube, Vimeo or any other site, Let Us Know Submit Additional Information: Do you have anything to add to this page? Have we made any mistakes... or do you have any additional information about Mickey Mouse?

If so, we would love to hear from you. Please send us a quick note with your additions or corrections to this page, and we will make the corrections as soon as possible! Report Errors... Cartoon Comments: Below are comments about this cartoon submitted by people who have seen this show. Take a look and see what others have said about Mickey Mouse. We want to know what you think, too!! Feel free to share your own opinion- we do want to hear from you! You can add your own comments here . Mickey The Star Mickey Mouse appeared in his first animated feature. - ReadWriteThink Mickey Mouse appeared in his first animated feature. On November 18, 1928, Mickey Mouse made his movie debut in Steamboat Willie, one of the earliest animated cartoons. This seven-minute film, directed by Walt Disney, was the first to combine animation technology with synchronized sound. From this short film, based on a cartoon drawing, Disney created one of the largest media empires in the world. CLASSROOM ACTIVITY Steamboat Willie was one of the earliest animated cartoons, a medium that grew from comic strips and Sunday funnies into a multimillion-dollar business.

Invite your students to experiment with cartoon and comic strip drawings by collaborating to create a short, humorous story, with at least one main character that performs an action. When students have completed the short sequence, have them use the Comic Creator or this online tool to make a flipbook. Students choose one background and repeat it multiple times as they draw their characters' actions from one frame to the next. When they've completed each sequence of drawings, they print out the pages, cut the frames, and staple them together to create a flipbook. By stapling all the pages together in one corner or along one side, students are able to flip the pages of the book quickly, simulating animation. Students can also use the Flipbook Tool to create their product. Allow students to share their flipbooks with their classmates. Teams can also experiment with adding vocals in the background to synchronize with the images. WEBSITES Mickey Mouse | cartoon character | Britannica.com cartoon character Mickey Mouse, the most popular character of Walt Disney’s animated cartoons and arguably the most popular cartoon star in the world. Walt Disney posing in front of a rendition of Mickey Mouse, 1950.

Alfred Eisenstaedt—Time Life Pictures/Getty Images Walt Disney began his first series of fully animated films in 1927, featuring the character Oswald the Lucky Rabbit . When his distributor appropriated the rights to the character, Disney altered Oswald’s appearance and created a new character that he named Mortimer Mouse; at the urging of his wife, Disney rechristened him Mickey Mouse . Two silent Mickey Mouse cartoons—Plane Crazy (1928) and Gallopin’ Gaucho (1928)—were produced before Disney employed the novelty of sound for the third Mickey Mouse production, Steamboat Willie (1928), though Mickey did not utter his first words (“Hot dogs!”) until The Karnival Kid (1929). Steamboat Willie was an immediate sensation and led to the studio’s dominance in the animated market for many years. During the early years, Mickey was drawn by noted animator Ub Iwerks , and Disney himself provided Mickey’s voice until 1947. Mickey was often joined by his girlfriend, Minnie Mouse, as well as an animated gang of friends that included Donald Duck , Goofy, and Pluto.

Mickey was a cheerful and mischievous anthropomorphic rodent who starred in more than 100 cartoon shorts and became a worldwide cult figure. The Mickey Mouse Club was one of the most popular television shows for children in the United States in the 1950s, and the signature black cap with mouse ears worn by the show’s stars has become one of the most widely distributed items in merchandising history. In 1932 Disney was given a special award by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for the creation of Mickey Mouse. (Left to right) Disney executive Robert Iger, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Mickey Mouse, … PRNewsFoto/Disneyland/AP Images Disney characters (right to left) Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse at Hong Kong Disneyland. Mike Clarke—AFP/Getty Images Mickey Mouse - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up) One of the most popular and famous of Walt Disney’s animated cartoon characters, Mickey Mouse made his motion-picture debut in Steamboat Willie (1928), the first animated cartoon with sound. A cheerful and mischievous humanlike rodent, Mickey went on to star in more than 100 cartoon shorts and movies.

Created by Disney, who also provided his voice, Mickey usually was drawn by animator Ub Iwerks. Mickey became the trademark for Walt Disney Productions (now the Walt Disney Company) in 1964. In 1932 Disney received an honorary award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for creating Mickey. In France, Mickey is known as Michel Souris; in Japan, as Miki Kuchi; in Spain, as Miguel Ratonocito; and in Denmark, as Mikkel Mus. Article Contributors Synopsis for the Mickey Mouse Synopsis for the Mickey Mouse This page has been viewed 261 times this month, and 13127 times total. Walt Disney Studios U.S.A. A Brief History Of This Cartoon Character: Mickey Mouse made his screen debut on November 18, 1928, as star of the first synchronized sound cartoon, Steamboat Willie , at the Colony Theatre in New York. Walt Disney created Mickey early in 1928 as Disney was returning from a meeting at which his cartoon creation, Oswald the Rabbit, had been wrested from him by his financial backers. Since the character was copyrighted under their name, they took control of it.

Upon returning to his studio, Walt and his small staff immediately began work on the first Mickey Mouse cartoon, Plane Crazy (1928). Their enthusiasm faded when no distributor wanted to buy the film. Refusing to give in, Walt forged into production on another silent Mickey, The Gallopin' Gaucho (1928). But "the talkies" had debuted in late 1927 with The Jazz Singer. Seeing sound films as the future of the motion picture industry, Walt began a third Mickey cartoon, this one with sound- Steamboat Willie. Walt sank everything he had into the film, and it scored an overwhelming success, so Walt added sound to Plane Crazy and The Gallopin' Gaucho, and soon had three hit shorts. As with all of Mickey's pictures through World War II, Walt himself supplied Mickey's voice. (Veteran Disney sound and vocal effects man Jim Macdonald took over for Walt in 1947. Wayne Allwine became Mickey's voice with Mickey's Christmas Carol in 1983, a role he has held ever since.) Of Mickey's 121 short cartoons, 87 were produced in the 1930's.

Mickey played everything from fireman to giant killer, cowboy to inventor, detective to plumber. Technically and artistically, Mickey Mouse cartoons were far superior to other contemporary cartoons and gave life to an entire family of animated characters: Goofy, Pluto, Donald Duck, and many others. Their artistic success was honored with an Academy Award to Walt Disney in 1932 for having created Mickey. With the advent of World War II, the Disney Studio suspended nearly all commercial activity and concentrated on aiding the war effort. Mickey played his part by appearing on insignia and posters urging national security and the purchase of war bonds. Following the war, Mickey returned to making cartoons and appeared in his second feature, Fun and Fancy Free (1947), in which he co-starred with Donald Duck and Goofy in a new version of "Jack and the Beanstalk." Through the forties and early fifties, Mickey made fewer cartoons, giving ground to Donald, Goofy and Pluto, who were more flexible as characters. Mickey's evolution into a Disney symbol made it increasingly difficult to create story situations for him.

If he lost his temper or did anything sneaky, fans would write in insisting, "Mickey just wouldn't do that." After the success of the "Disneyland" television show in 1954, Disney agreed to create an afternoon program for ABC. He gave them "The Mickey Mouse Club," which remains one of the most successful children's shows ever. Over the years, Mickey has been frequently seen on dozens of Disney television shows and specials, and in 1988, he actually appeared on the Academy Awards(r) telecast, presenting an envelope to actor Tom Selleck. In 1983, Mickey returned to the theater screen in the featurette Mickey's Christmas Carol, a Disney version of the Dickens classic, where Mickey played Bob Crachit. In 1990, Mickey again appeared in a theatrical featurette, this time playing a dual role in The Prince and the Pauper . In 1995, a new theatrical short cartoon for Mickey, Runaway Brain , was released. One of the finest tributes to Mickey was given by Walt Disney himself when, on one of his first TV shows, as he surveyed Disneyland, Walt said, "I hope we never lose sight of one fact...

that this was all started by a Mouse." Submit Additional Information: Do you have anything to add to this page? Have we made any mistakes... or do you ahve any additional information about Mickey Mouse? If so, we would love to hear from you. Please send us a quick note with your additions or corrections to this page, and we will make the corrections as soon as possible! Report Errors / Submit Additional Information Cartoon Comments: Below are comments about this cartoon submitted by people who have seen this show. Take a look and see what others have said about Mickey Mouse. We want to know what you think, too!! Feel free to share your own opinion- we do want to hear from you! You can add your own comments here . Mickey The Star Steamboat Willie Reviews & Ratings - IMDb IMDb 17 out of 18 people found the following review useful: The Little Mouse That Could 26 April 2003 A Walt Disney MICKEY MOUSE Cartoon. STEAMBOAT WILLIE, a mischievous little rodent, neglects his pilothouse and frolics his way into cinematic history. On 18 November 1928, a struggling young genius debuted the world's first successful cartoon with synchronous sound.

There would be no looking back for either Walt Disney or his alter ego Mickey Mouse. Financial struggles would remain, but essentially the world was their oyster bed and Mickey would eventually rival Chaplin as the most recognizable cultural icon of the century. As entertainment, STEAMBOAT WILLIE is still fun to watch, featuring fine work by animator Ub Iwerks and showing a Mickey with all the passions & indifference of a small child. He must deal with a tyrannical skipper (Pete, without his peg leg; he had been appearing in Disney cartoons since February of 1925), a wisecracking parrot (in a few years it would be a Duck) and a cute little Mouse named Minnie. Together the two rodents rather callously make music on the live bodies of a goat, cat, goose, piglets & cow (a precursor of Clarabelle) - all of whom happened to be conveniently on board the steamship. Audiences howled for more and the pattern was set for the subsequent Mouse cartoons of the next few years. ****************************** Walt Disney (1901-1966) was always intrigued by pictures & drawings.

As a lad in Marceline, Missouri, he sketched farm animals on scraps of paper; later, as an ambulance driver in France during the First World War, he drew comic figures on the sides of his vehicle. Back in Kansas City, along with artist Ub Iwerks, Walt developed a primitive animation studio that provided animated commercials and tiny cartoons for the local movie theaters. Always the innovator, his ALICE IN CARTOONLAND series broke ground in placing a live figure in a cartoon universe. Business reversals sent Disney & Iwerks to Hollywood in 1923, where Walt's older brother Roy became his lifelong business manager & counselor. When a mildly successful series with Oswald The Lucky Rabbit was snatched away by the distributor, the character of Mickey Mouse sprung into Walt's imagination, ensuring Disney's immortality. The happy arrival of sound technology made Mickey's screen debut, STEAMBOAT WILLIE (1928), a tremendous audience success with its use of synchronized music.

The SILLY SYMPHONIES soon appeared, and Walt's growing crew of marvelously talented animators were quickly conquering new territory with full color, illusions of depth and radical advancements in personality development, an arena in which Walt's genius was unbeatable. Mickey's feisty, naughty behavior had captured millions of fans, but he was soon to be joined by other animated companions: temperamental Donald Duck, intellectually-challenged Goofy and energetic Pluto. All this was in preparation for Walt's grandest dream - feature length animated films. Against a blizzard of doomsayers, Walt persevered and over the next decades delighted children of all ages with the adventures of Snow White, Pinocchio, Dumbo, Bambi & Peter Pan. Walt never forgot that his fortunes were all started by a mouse, or that childlike simplicity of message and lots of hard work always pay off. Was the above review useful to you? 16 out of 21 people found the following review useful: slight mistake in Mickey history from United States 1 July 2005 Steamboat Willy was not the first cartoon to feature Mickey Mouse. The first film to star America's friend was "Plane Crazy".

"Plane Crazy" was released May 15th 1928 in Hollywood California,in the silent movie format. "Steamboat Willy" was released November 18th 1928 as a SOUND movie (it was also released July 29th 1928 as a silent film). Thus making "Steamboat.."the first SOUND film of Mickey but NOT the first film for the little American Mouse. While many game shows have used the question: "What was the first appearance of Mickey Mouse?" The true answer is "Plane Crazy" not "Steamboat Willy". These dates can be checkout on IMDb under "release dates". Was the above review useful to you? 9 out of 9 people found the following review useful: the other landmark short film of 1928 from United States 8 July 2000 While in France as Germaine Dulac created a benchmark of short-subject, cinematic surrealism with The Seashell and the Clergyman, Walt Disney and his collaborator Ub Iwerks in America worked on Steamboat Willie, the most prominent of the early synchronized sound cartoons (it was revealed that this was not the first, contrary to other reports).

It's also one of the more successfully simplistic and funny of the Mickey Mouse shorts (still in a silent-film way- the only sounds are little irks and bleeps from the Mickey and the animals). It also goes by fairly quickly for its less-than-ten minute run, if only by how quick and dopey the gags are. But in these minutes one gets the immediate sense of how much fun Disney has with his characters, and how the newfound use of sound changes how his creation uses the animals as musical tools. There's no story to speak of, just random things that happens and occurs because of Mickey (err, Steamboat Willie) on this boat on a river. And like the better Mickey Mouse shorts, his lack of speaking acts as an advantage. It's a must-see if you haven't seen it as a kid, but if you have it might still be worth another look. Was the above review useful to you? 5 out of 5 people found the following review useful: Timeless from United Kingdom 11 February 2010 This 8 minute gem is not only timeless, but it is a cartoon milestone. It is Mickey's third cartoon, and one of his best ones too.

It is a cartoon milestone because it was the first one with synchronised sound. And my goodness, even after 70+ years it is ever so good, and gives real additional weight to the narrative. The black and white animation is excellent, and the character features are convincing enough. The music is wonderful, I love the soundtrack, it does add to the fun the cartoon has, no matter how thin the story sometimes is. And the cartoon is funny! So many memorable moments, like the cow's teeth being used as an xylophone and its udder as a bagpipe. The characters are also engaging, Mickey and Minnie two landmark Disney characters are well voiced by Walt Disney, and Pete serves well as "the villain of the piece". All in all, "Steamboat Willie" is just a timeless gem that everybody should see at least once. 10/10 Bethany Cox Was the above review useful to you? 7 out of 9 people found the following review useful: Even after 80 years, this is still a charming little film from Bradenton, Florida 29 October 2008 STEAMBOAT WILLIE is an amazingly important film to our cinema history.

This second appearance of Mickey Mouse (following the silent PLANE CRAZY earlier that year) is probably his most famous film--mostly because it was so ground-breaking. This is because it was the first sound cartoon. While you don't yet hear Mickey speak, there are tons of sound effects and music throughout the film--something we take for granted now but which was a huge crowd pleaser in 1928. Now if this were just an important historical film, it would be worth seeing--especially to lovers of animation. However, after seeing the short again after about 25 years, I was amazed at how timeless the film actually is. While Mickey and Minnie behave a bit odd compared to the characters we have grown to love (thanks mostly to the kooky mind and talent of animator Ub Iwerks), there is an infectious charm about the film. It's just adorable seeing Mickey playing "Turkey in the Straw" in a highly imaginative (if occasionally cruel) way. Clever and a real crowd-pleaser--this film still ranks among Mickey's best films even after 80 wonderful years. Was the above review useful to you?

3 out of 3 people found the following review useful: Mickey's cruel streak from Australia 8 December 2008 'Steamboat Willie (1928)' is often erroneously touted as the first Mickey Mouse film, though that title actually goes to 'Plane Crazy (1928).' The source fuelling this common misconception is probably an episode of "The Simpsons," which places the origin of Itchy the Mouse in a 1928 short called 'Steamboat Itchy,' obviously a parody of this cartoon. Interestingly, 'Steamboat Willie' was itself a parody, spoofing the latest Buster Keaton release, 'Steamboat Bill, Jr. (1928),' though the connection stretches little beyond the title and the general story setting. In this Walt Disney short, Mickey Mouse takes charge of a river steamboat, much to the annoyance of Captain Pete the cat, who spitefully casts him aside. But Mickey is not to be outdone in nastiness. Far removed from the pleasant, wholesome Mickey that more recent generations enjoyed, this little mouse cares only for numero uno, inflicting pain and displeasure on a series of farm animals in order to provide music for his own amusement.

First there's the laughing parrot, which cops a bucket and a large potato to the head. Then a goat is cranked by the tail to provide music ("Turkey in the Straw") from a guitar it has swallowed. A cat is swung around by its tail, a goose throttled about the throat, and a piglet viciously booted. For a children's cartoon, 'Steamboat Willie,' directed by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks, certainly has some mean-spirited humour, though I also noticed similar elements (though not quite to this extent) in some later Disney shorts, like 'Gulliver Mickey (1934).' Let's not forget Minnie Mouse, of course, who suffers treatment for which she could today sue for sexual harassment! The jokes may be crude, and the animation perhaps even more so, but this cartoon delivers a bucket-full of laughs, and it's easy to see why this little rodent became one of the most beloved characters in cinema history. If you're a fan of Mickey Mouse, or Disney in general, this is one steamboat you can't afford to miss. Was the above review useful to you?

6 out of 9 people found the following review useful: A New Era in Cartoon History from York, England 4 January 2001 This era was not just the dawn of sound in cartoons, but of a cartoon character which would go down in history as the world's most famous mouse. Yes, Mickey makes his debut here, in this cheery tale of life on board a steamboat. The animation is good for it's time, and the plot - though a little simple - is quite jolly. A true classic, and if you ever manage to get it on video, you won't regret it. Was the above review useful to you? 7 out of 11 people found the following review useful: Mickey`s first movie from Froland, Norway 6 September 2000 "Steamboat Willie" is Mickey`s first movie, and was released way back in 1928. It is an atmospheric piece of movie history, and is a must see for every Disney-fan out there. If you don`t like Disney, you probably won`t like this movie. A great debut for Mickey Mouse and it`s the first cartoon. As an old Disney-fan, I think that this is a brilliant movie.

10/10 Was the above review useful to you? 8 out of 13 people found the following review useful: Happy 75th Birthday Mickey from england 15 November 2003 Mickey Mouse is now 75 years old. He was created by Walt Disney, a famous creater, producer, director etc: I love the Disney Movies because it is great fun watching the cartoon movies. Altogether Walt Disney i think is the king of the creations, Everyone has got to love this creations and the movies by Walt Disney. Thank you Walt for all the classic characters you made. Was the above review useful to you? 5 out of 8 people found the following review useful: Mickey's debut from USA 3 January 2000 This was the first Mickey Mouse cartoon released and the first cartoon with sound. In the cartoon, Mickey does not yet wear gloves. He does not yet speak either. All he does is whistle and play music. The song that he plays is "Turkey in the Straw" using several farm animals as musical instruments. For example, he plays the teeth of a cow like a xylophone and pulls nursing piglets like an accordion keyboard.

I taped this cartoon off of the Disney Channel and I think it is wonderful. It was based on a silent film starring Buster Keaton entitled "Steamboat Bill, Jr." Was the above review useful to you? Page 1 of 4: Steamboat Willie (1928) - The Internet Animation Database The Internet Animation Database (4 ratings submitted) Synopsis Mickey is a steamboat pilot captained by Pete, trying to impress Minnie and make a little music along the way. Characters The first Mickey cartoon released, and Disney's first animated film with a synchronized sound recording. Trivia The short was based on an earlier Buster Keaton silent film (which was in turn based on an even earlier vaudeville routine) "Steamboat Bill, Jr." Cut Scenes Some scenes of what might be considered gratuitous animal violence have been cut including Mickey playing a nursing sow's teats like an accordion keyboard, pulling a cats tail and swinging it around his head, and using a goose as a bagpipe. Some of these cuts have since been reinstated.

Technical Specifications Animation Type: Standard (Hand-drawn-Cel) Animation Color Type: Black and White Sound Type: Mono: Cinephone Reviews and Comments From Calvin Daprice : I noticed that when they show the livestock at the landing site, the cow's FOB tag disappears as she moos. A second later, it is back again. From Nick : It's a great movie! From Tyler Jacobson : I first saw this short when I was about six. We were at my Aunt's house and I rented all sorts of videos with old Disney cartoons. From what I remember, the short starts out with Mickey driving a boat. He must have been horsing around, because Peet comes up and yells at him. Somehow, Mickey picks up Minnie's cow and puts it on the boat. Minnie runs on the boat, so that she may retrieve her cow. Then, Mickey and Minnie begin playing Turkey In The Straw on all the animals. This short rocks! It is completely awesome! Watch it! From Jerry Edwards : While I understand the importance of this short in the success of Walt Disney and the Disney Company, it is not among my favorites.

I rather dislike that the Disney Company's "official" version of the cartoon - one released on laserdisc and video and shown on the Disney Channel - is censored. The scene missing is as follows: Mickey, after pulling on piglet tails while they're suckling and making them squeal to the "Turkey in the Straw" tune, is then shown in the censored scene when he shakes the piglets off their mom and kicks one remaining piglet off. He then plays the sow's teats like accordion buttons to the tune. I didn't realize for years that the censored version I had always seen was not complete. There was one gag planned, but never animated. After loading the cow onto the boat, Mickey was to load the sow. You were to see the sow behind a crate as Mickey hooked on the belt. The sow would then be shown being lifted up, with her (previously unseen) piglets hanging on to her teats for dear life. That would have been a fun sight gag, but my research indicates that the scene was never animated.

From Lee Suggs : Since the historical events surrounding Steamboat Willie have been wonderfully detailed already, I thought I would discuss the animation history leading up to the short: Animation was part of the world of film since at least 1909. In that year Winsor McCay performed in vaudeville theaters with "Gertie, the Trained Dinosaur". The show was a sensation as the animated dinosaur appeared to respond to McCay's commands. The next year cartoons began to appear that told a story such as "Colonel Heeza Liar" which was the first cartoon series. The first great animation innovator appeared in 1917, when Max Fleischer introduced his "Out of the Inkwell" series. Fleischer's "Koko the Clown" character interacted with Fleischer in live action. Of course, all animation at this point was silent, and required accompiament by a piano or organ when shown in a theater. Without sound the animated characters tended to just be material for gags, and lacked personality. Throughout the twenties Winkler Productions controlled the most popular cartoons which included "Felix the Cat" and the "Out of the Inkwell" series.

Winkler also controlled the modestly successful "Alice Comedies", and later the somewhat more successful "Oswald the Lucky Rabbit" series. These were both productions from Walt Disney Comics. Oswald, in fact, looks a lot like a certain famous mouse. Felix was the only popular cartoon of this period, and even he was considered a filler before a movie, not a real character. This would all change in 1928. Winkler decided to squeeze Disney out of the production of the "Oswald" cartoons by cutting his payments and stealing his animators. Disney had to come up with something different. Which he did, resulting in the birth of Mickey Mouse. However, the first Mickey short Plane Crazy was a failure. This short was silent and very much like an "Oswald" short. Why buy an imitation Oswald when you could have the real thing? Disney had to come up with something else fast. Max Fleischer had experimented with and released seven animated shorts with some sound effects. These shorts had not generated much interest and were quickly forgotten.

(Fleischer went on to be the first animator to experiment with color, and to compete with Disney during the 1930's and 1940's. The most famous of his cartoon series include "Popeye the Sailor Man", "Betty Boop", and "Superman".) Disney may have seen the Fleischer cartoons, or he may have come up with the idea for a cartoon with sound on his own. Whatever happened Disney was the first to try a complete cartoon with synchronized sound. The gimmick worked, and people thronged to see "Steamboat Willie". Mickey quickly became a phenomenon. However, I believe this isn't just because he was the first cartoon with sound. I think it is because Mickey had a personality. Ub Iwerks and Walt Disney had created an everyman, or a reflection of their culture. In 1928 this meant he was a wild, musical, scamp; willing to try anything. As the culture changed so did Mickey, and he remained a culture touchstone until at least the middle of the nest decade. From Ryan : This is truly one of my favorite Mickey Mouse shorts.

The scene in which Mickey plays "Turkey in the Straw" using the animals is just hilarious. One scene that I want to see is the scene where Mickey, after pulling the nursing piglets in tune to the music, removes them and starts playing on their mother's teats. I hear that this scene is censored on both video/laserdisc releases and on TV. This was deleted back in 1953 for its theatrical showing as part of Mickey's 25th Anniversary. The people who show it on the Disney Channel/Toon Disney probably don't even know that its censored, but are just showing the version that they were given. I would like to see this scene on the Disney Channel if Disney reinstates their edits after they receive the letters from the petition. From Rich : If you've never seen this cartoon before then all I have to say is; "You ain't heard nothin' yet!" or in this case, if you're referring to Warner Bros., "Mammy!" (a common Disney gag that parodied Al Jolson's accomplishment in The Jazz Singer). This cartoon says it all, even though it's only words of dialogue are "Man overboard!".

But all kidding aside, the way Disney thought of having his new star character bring sound into the animated world by playing a menagerie of animals like musical instruments in tune to the music, was classic. Disney answered right back to his ex-boss, Charlie Mintz, who fired him to make better profits, and shocked the world with just a seven-and-a-half minute musical cartoon short with sound, that went on to be one of the best animated films ever made. From Jeremy Fassler : Some people rank this as Mickey's best cartoon, and though it's not the best (that honor goes to The Band Concert ), it is one of my favorites. I really do think that the Mickey/Minnie relationship isn't played out well here, though. I just bought the Walt Disney Treasures DVD of Black and White Mickey cartoons and this was one of the first ones I watched. I absolutely love it. The scene where he pulls the cats tail is hilarious, as is the scene with the xylophone cow and the potato being thrown at the bird, who should've been in more shorts. Overall, one of the most important Disney cartoons, and more importantly, one of the best!

From Mike : Up until I got the excellent Mickey Mouse in Black and White DVD I thought I had already seen Steamboat Willie. But I had not or at least never the uncensored version. This is one of my favorite cartoons ever, period. No not because of the whole synchronized sound issue but because it is simply hilarious. The exaggeration, the cruelty towards animals, and listening to a parrot drown and Mickey laughing at its demise were all classic bits. This also showed there were great things to come from Walt and Mickey as well as it would seem a strong supporting cast (Minnie and Pete were there too!). I love it. From Bengan : None of my favorites though I can feel the historical vibrations. I met with this short on the Disney Treasures "Mickey Mouse in Black and White". The most interesting with this short is the follow up in the future shorts. A favorite theme will be the spitting, the xylophone playing on teeth (or on skeletons) and pulling tails. An other theme will be the interest in Minnies underwear (in this short the hook will be embarrassed - in the next ( Plane Crazy ) it will be used as a parachute and so on.

I enjoyed the part when Mickey played the casseroles and the washboard. The latter grew very popular in the fifties - at least in Europe. From Sam : Although Plane Crazy and the Gallopin' Gaucho were the first to be animated, it would be Steamboat Willie that would introduce Mickey to the world. And what an introduction! Mickey plays as spunky deckhand on Captain Pete's riverboat, culminating with Mickey making music with anything he can get his hands on. Pure fun from beginning to end, it remains one of the best shorts of all time. From Jenny : I am only 14 years old but I have been brought up to enjoy all the classics including the earlier Disney cartoons. When I was about 5, I got a video of Steamboat Willie and it was my favorite! I loved it and I still watch it at least once a week! From Baruch Weiss : One of my favorite Mickey Mouse cartoons. The music was wonderful. While I really am not a fan of black and white cartoons, this one is an exception. From Bill : This short is considered the vehicle that started Mickey to stardom because it's Mickey's first "sound" cartoon.

But further than that historical point it also showcased Ub Iwerks' vast talent as an animator and the fact that he almost single-handedly animated the first three Mickey shorts. Mickey's personality was also being groomed as a defender of the weak (Minnie losing her music) and doing what it takes to help, even though he ended up peeling potatoes for his efforts. he was brash, brazen, and most of all brave beyond his own strength. The gags were great for such an early short and set the pace for future Mickey's. From Gijs Grob : This cartoon is a milestone, being the first cartoon in which synchronized sound is used. Of course sound boosted both Mickey's and Walt Disney's career and it gave a valuable shot to the ailing animation industry. Yet, it was also a setback, as can already be seen in this cartoon. In Steamboat Willie, sound is the sole raison d'etre of some of the shots (chickens cackling, a cow mooing). But more important, storyline has given way to an extensive musical number. While both Plane Crazy and Gallopin' Gaucho had strong, albeit simple stories, Steamboat Willie has almost none.

It wasn't necessary: to see Mickey Mouse dance and play to the music was marvelous enough. Therefore, in the coming years Disney would favor often tiring sing and dance routines above great storylines. It took Disney several years to bring back strong stories to his cartoons (Mickey's 42th film, Traffic Troubles from 1931, is arguably the first). Nevertheless, Steamboat Willie still is a great cartoon, and a lot of fun to watch. It's still rooted in the silent era, because lip synchronization had not been developed yet, making the characters' vocabulary rather limited. And it still uses a comic strip-like visual language to express the characters' feelings. Yet, the musical number is both fresh and catching. When you've seen Steamboat Willie, you'll be whistling 'Turkey in the Straw' for days, with a smile on your face. From Christian : Such a classic cartoon. It's a shame that you can only get the unedited version on Mickey Mouse in Black and White. From Steven : I thought this was a great short, but not as good as Plane Crazy .

The scenes with the barnyard animals are hilarious, but the scene with Mickey playing the mother pig's teats was really weird (which is typical in these early cartoons.) Does anyone know what the parrot says to Mickey? I can barely hear, but I can't make up the words. From Billy Joe : Nick simply commented: "It's a great movie!" I strongly agree. Steamboat Willie is a fun-filled cartoon. No matter how many times I watch it, I never get tired of the song Mickey and Minnie play. There are also some other laughs as well. Also in this cartoon, Pete changes from a bear to a cat. (He's a cat from that short on.) I guess the Disney Studio made that change because the bear vs. mouse idea wouldn't be a good idea or they don't want to use a character from the Oswald cartoons they didn't own. Anyway, Steamboat Willie is a fun short, and it's highly recommended for many generations. From a score of 1-10, it gets an 11! P.S.

The sequence when Mickey Mouse taps his foot, whistling, and driving the steamboat (at the beginning of the cartoon) is used in the new Walt Disney Animation Studios logo. From Mike : I first saw this short when I was 5 years old. I enjoyed it then, and I enjoy it now. I like the playing of the animals to Turkey in the Straw. I really laugh at the end scene when Mickey throws the potato at the parrot. Just funny all around. ‘Steamboat Willie’ Anniversary: Debut Of Mickey Mouse & First Disney Sound Cartoon Turns 85 ‘Steamboat Willie’ Anniversary: Debut Of Mickey Mouse & First Disney Sound Cartoon Turns 85 By Stoogeypedia | Monday, November 18th, 2013 at 10:00 am Tweet Steamboat Willie, which is generally associated with being one of the very first sound cartoons, but more importantly, it ushered into the public consciousness Mickey Mouse and that character’s creator, Walt Disney, two pop cultural images who became ingrained as American standards, celebrates the 85th anniversary of its release today.

Looking at the cartoon today, almost a century later, it’s an innocuous yarn on a boat, lightly funny, surprisingly wacky violent, and of course chock full of goofy, loopy, sound effects; it’s a half-baked affair. But it’s not so much the cartoon that makes it the universally recognized classic that it is; it’s more about being the genesis modes of Walt Disney and his creation, the lovable rodent, Mickey Mouse (the character had two other shorts prior, but Steamboat Willie was the first released – November 18, 1928). And while there may have been (and this opinion could strictly be a taste issue) other studios and characters in the wake of the release of Steamboat Willie years and decades after that arguably had trumped the Disney cartoons for just their sheer approach to humor, (the characters and animators from the Warner Brothers Studios comes to mind), Steamboat Willie represents a time when Walt Disney rolled his sleeves up at the drawing board and firmly planted himself at the helm.

Disney is mostly known as an elder statesman to the masses, frozen in that iconic image with the sharp suit, pencil-thin mustache, and graying temples, the kind old lord of the universe he created for himself, the iconoclastic, richer than most countries in the world, yet still retaining a kind of docile, hearth friendly demeanor in his presence. That’s how most of the world saw him and continues to see him. But here, on Steamboat Willie, during a time right at the end of World War I and before the Great Depression, he’s in control of the very, very beginnings of what eventually shaped that empire he enjoyed and his legacy continues to to this day (almost 50 years after his death, the Walt Disney Company rakes in billions annually). What’s most unique and pioneering about Steamboat Willie is its approach to sound. Again, it wasn’t the very first sound cartoon, but it certainly was the first to kind of transcend using in an “experimental version.” There are plenty of scenes and sequences within its seven minutes which are tailor made to utilize the sound, and mostly are done effectively. Just the shot of Mickey whistling has almost become synonymous with early animation.

It’s immensely part of the fun, and in fact almost takes center stage to the mild narrative. It’s also fun to see Mickey Mouse in a kind of reckless manner, wild-eyed and humorously chaotic, an early version of what characters like Bugs Bunny would crystallize over a decade later. And seeing a Disney cartoon (or a production for that matter) that isn’t all about tugging at the heartstrings and becoming family oriented crests of armor, a subdivision of a large chunk of people, creating a lifestyle and enjoying an assembly line output of cartoons, motion pictures, theme parks, and every single bit of marketing minutiae one could conjure up, is actually a refreshing thing. It’s a big world after all. Something else that gets brought to one’s attention when viewing Steamboat Willie is realizing the importance of animator Ub Iwerks, a name all but forgotten in today’s day and age, not even recognized as a known fossil to most of the contemporary animation/anime/cartoon crowd today.

But like a Paul Terry (of Terrytoons and Mighty Mouse fame), or a Leon Schlesinger (the money end, but an extremely important catalyst in spearheading Termite Terrace, which was the Warner Brothers animation arm of the company) and many more, Ub Iwerks, was in a way as important as Walt Disney was to ushering in the entire animation cinematic boom. The two men co-wrote and directed Steamboat Willie, and Iwerks was also largely responsible for the sound direction and application. When a screening was arranged for doubtful animators working on the feature to prove that sound could indeed work successfully in animated cartoons, Iwerks set up the transmission of the sound, which at the screening, was played live, with Iwerks and others banging on pots and pans, using slide whistles and spittoons, all playing in harmony with the appropriate action on the screen. The response was as Disney later described it, “nothing less than electric” and gave the cartoon huge momentum and lift to get to final fruition.

Iwerks later claimed that “he had never been so thrilled in life, and nothing since had equaled it.” It became the launching pad for what was to follow, the animation genre in general, which soon became a respected industry, having Academy Awards lavished upon various studios who put out various cartoons. It remains a billion dollar industry and while it may never attempt to utilize a substance over style in today’s studio computer drawn offerings which are light years from the dollar tree grass roots charm of a Steamboat Willie, it nonetheless still has the footprints of this first little microcosm of a zeitgeist and always will, whether if it is conscious of that fact or not. You can view the cartoon below. As one will see, Steamboat Willie remains much ado not so much about the cartoon, but again, the extremely ahead of its time breakthrough of the marriage of sound and picture in an animated short. It’s kind of akin to imagining how Thomas Edison simply turned up the tungsten and manifested the light bulb, or the Wright Brothers getting the plane off the ground for the twenty or so seconds that they did. It’s sometimes not even what the physical result becomes as much as the sheer invention of it.

And it’s the invention of what it did, what it spawned, and in a strange way, how it changed the pop cultural landscape for eternity, that makes Steamboat Willie one of the most important animated shorts of all time.

Question: What famous cartoon character made his debut in the film 'Steamboat Willy'?
Answer: Mickey Mouse